Bethlehem Shipbuilding San Pedro

33.72996°N 118.26993°W / 33.72996; -118.26993

Bethlehem Shipbuilding San Pedro yard in 1944

Bethlehem Shipbuilding San Pedro was a major shipbuilding company on Terminal Island in San Pedro, California owned by Bethlehem Shipbuilding Corporation. To support the World War 2 demand for ships Bethlehem Shipbuilding San Pedro built: US Navy Destroyers and after the war tugboats. The yard became involved in World War II production in the early shipbuilding expansions initiated by the Two-Ocean Navy Act of July 1940. At its peak during the war about 6,000 worked at the yard, Bethlehem Shipbuilding San Pedro shipyard was opened in 1918 as Southwestern Shipbuilding by Western Pipe & Steel. Western Pipe & Steel sold the shipyard to Bethlehem Shipbuilding Corporation in 1925. Shipbuilding ended after World War 2 in 1946. In 1983 the shipyard was sold to Southwest Marine. In 1997 Southwest Marine operated four shipyards, which they sold to The Carlyle Group. Carlyle Group renamed the shipyard US Marine Repair. In 2002 US Marine Repair sold all six of its yards to United Defense Industries. In 2005 it was sold to BAE Systems but the yard was not used and the yard is now part of the Port of Los Angeles. The shipyard was located at 1047 South Seaside Ave, San Pedro.[1]

World War II

Bethlehem Shipbuilding San Pedro destroyers built from 1942 to 1945: [2]

Fletcher-class destroyer, (DD-792) Callaghan sunk by kamikazes off Okinawa on July 28, 1945
World War II Destroyer Shipbuilders map from Department of Defense (DoD)

Southwestern Shipbuilding

Southwestern was the second largest of three steel shipyards in the Ports of Los Angeles and Long Beach active during the World War I shipbuilding boom, responsible for 28% of the tonnage built there for the United States Shipping Board.

Many of the ships were Design 1019 ships built under the USSB's Emergency Fleet Corporation (EFC) contacts.[4][5] Ships built:

Ship nameTypeTonsDeliveredNotes
West CarnifaxCargo6,150Jan-19Renamed to Exford in 1928, Pan Royal in 1930, in collision and lost in 1943
West CaruthFeb-19Renamed to Exmoor in 1923, Antonio Tripcovich in 1924, Seisho Maru in 1928, torpedoed and lost in 1944
West CatanaceMar-19Renamed to Atlantic in 1923, Theodore in 1947, Archon in 1951, scrapped in 1952
West SequanaApr-19Renamed to Golden Cloud in 1928, Waimea in 1938, Marcar in 1950, Carmar in 1952, Madelaine in 1955, scrapped in 1958
West CavanalJun-19Renamed to Edgar Bowling in 1923, Texmar in 1927, Irkutsk in 1945, scrapped in 1966
West CawthonJul-19Renamed to Empire Bison in 1940, torpedoed and lost in 1940
West CayoteAug-19Renamed to Washington in 1928, bombed and lost in 1942
West ChetacJul-19Torpedoed and lost in 1942
West InskipCargo6,000Sep-19Renamed to Charcas in 1926, Carreta in 1940, Parita Sun in 1947, scrapped in 1953
West ChicopeeDec-19Renamed Bakersfield, renamed to Chagres in 1941, Mirafjord in 1947, San Salvatore in 1950, scrapped in 1953
West NerisDec-19Renamed to Irish Oak in 1941, torpedoed and lost in 1943
West NigerJan-20Renamed to Nevada in 1938, wrecked in 1932
West NilusCargo5,650Mar-20Sunk as breakwater at Normandy in 1944
West NiveriaApr-20Renamed to Golden Coast in 1928, Delawarean in 1937, Empire Hawksbill in 1940, torpedoed and lost in 1942
West NomentumMay-20Renamed to Pennsylvania in 1928, Pan in 1947, Tanar in 1949, in collision and sank in 1959
West NorranusJun-20Renamed to Pacific Pine in 1926, Maine in 1937, Lvov in 1945, Istra in 1951, scrapped in 1958
West NotusJul-20Shelled and scuttled in 1942
West NumidiaTanker5,650Aug-20Renamed Hollywood, wrecked and lost in 1945
Mary LuckenbachCargo8,600Dec-20Renamed to C. B. Watson in 1936, Indiana in 1947, Al Horreya in 1954, Mansoura in 1957, scrapped in 1963
Barge165Apr-20
SS MontabelloTanker8,272Mar-21Torpedoed and lost in 1941
La PlacentiaApr-21Scrapped in 1948
La PurisimaOct-21Renamed to Taganrog in 1943, Octorara in 1944, La Purisima in 1946, scrapped in 1947
ScopasTanker5,900Jul-21Scrapped in 1939
SilvanusAug-21Renamed to SS Papoose in 1926 (ON 226583), torpedoed and lost in 1942
SemiramisSep-21scuttled in 1942, raised and renamed to Kyoko Maru in 1943, torpedoed and lost in 1943

See also
Wikimedia Commons has media related to Bethlehem Shipbuilding, San Pedro, California.

References
  1. shipbuildinghistory.com Bethlehem Shipbuilding San Pedro
  2. Defense Technical Information Center/ Navy After Next Contingency Producible Corvette
  3. navsource.org YTM-702
  4. laconservancy.org Southwestern Shipbuilding
  5. Wartime Shipbuilding at Terminal Island
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